Daniel Ricciardo is eyeing a return to Red Bull Racing to replace Sergio Perez once the Mexican driver’s contract concludes, according to Christian Horner, the team principal. Ricciardo, who previously raced for Red Bull Racing from 2014 to 2018, securing seven of his eight Formula One victories with the team, will begin his comeback with Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri in Hungary this weekend after serving as a reserve driver for Red Bull last season.
Horner shared during Formula One’s F1 Nation podcast, “He firmly wants to be pitching for that 2025 Red Bull seat. That’s his goal and objective. By going to AlphaTauri, I think he sees that as his best route for stating his case for 2025.”
Ricciardo has taken the place of struggling rookie Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri, with the Dutch driver failing to score any points this season. However, Horner clarified that Ricciardo’s current arrangement is only in place until the end of the season, with no long-term plans beyond that. Red Bull’s drivers for the next season are expected to be Max Verstappen and Perez.
Red Bull has been dominant this season, winning every race, with Verstappen holding a significant 99-point lead over Perez after securing eight victories out of ten races. Speculation has arisen regarding Perez’s future as well, as his performance has come under scrutiny.
The decision to remove De Vries from AlphaTauri before his home race at Zandvoort in August was considered harsh by some. However, Horner explained that delaying the decision would have served no purpose. He also revealed that the decision to replace De Vries came about 11 laps into Ricciardo’s tire test for Pirelli after the British Grand Prix.
Horner stated, “If we’ve got to do something, we might as well get on with it and give Daniel 12 races to see what he’s capable of.” The opportunity will allow Ricciardo to demonstrate his abilities and potentially position himself for a future return to Red Bull Racing.